Visit the Pumice Field in Catamarca and Route 43

We tell you how to visit the Pumice Field in Catamarca, a province in northwestern Argentina that offers one of the most beautiful mountain landscapes with countless volcanoes, dunes and scenic routes.

Although most tourists, both nationals and foreigners, only visit the provinces of Salta and Jujuy in the northwest of Argentina, Catamarca offers virgin, little known and impressive landscapes.

We traveled through the area closest to the Andes Mountains in the province, taking Route 40 and then taking Route 43 to the town of El Peñón and Route 60 to Fiambalá.

🔝 Traveling in the area? Check out the rest of the things to do in Catamarca.

Map – visit the Pumice Field in Catamarca and surroundings

In the map below we include the route from Villa Vil to Antofagasta de la Sierra, with the different places to visit such as Campo de Piedra Pómez, Laguna Blanca and the dunes.

We did what is marked in blue. What is in red will be left for the next one. We will be back!

Our visit to Pumice Field was part of a 3 month trip through central and northern Argentina which is summarized here: Matetrip Argentina.

Things to do in Catamarca Route 43 to Antofagasta de la Sierra

One of the main places to visit in Catamarca is Route 43, which starts at Puerta de Corral Quemado, about 8 kilometers from Route 40 in the town of Hualfin, and runs through beautiful villages to the town of Antofagasta de la Sierra.

Although there are 200 kilometers of road from Puerta de Corral Quemado to Antofagasta de la Sierra, It takes about five to six hours to make the entire trip. It must be taken into account that you are going at high altitude, between mountains and with many curves and animals on the side, mainly guanacos.

Route 43 in Catamarca is almost entirely paved up to Antofagasta de la Sierra, except for some 30 kilometers of gravel road from the town of Villa Vil to the beginning of the Randolfo slope, where speed must be reduced considerably.

Traveling along Route 43 allows you to fully immerse yourself in the landscapes of the Puna Catamarca in a hostile, arid environment, with strong winds, little traffic and large mountains but with a spectacular color. Many of the things you see look like they were taken from another planet due to the volcanic eruptions that took place in the area millions of years ago.

As one goes towards Antofogasta de la Sierra , the altitude along the route begins to increase. Puerta de Corral Quemado, at the beginning, is at 1,900 meters above sea level and the towns of El Peñón and Antofagasta de la Sierra are at 3,300 meters above sea level. In between, the highest point of the route is passed at Pasto Ventura, at about 4,000 meters above sea level.

One of the most attractive points of the route is on the so-called Cuesta de Randolfo, when suddenly impressive sand dunes appear before your eyes in the middle of the mountains and the arid landscape. These are the Dunes of La Difunta.

Another place to make a stop is Laguna Blanca, a small town in the middle of the puna that can be reached by taking a detour from Route 43 along a gravel road and bordering the lagoon of the same name.

The whole tour is worthwhile, it is advisable to stop to take pictures and also sleep in the villages to make some of the excursions in the surroundings such as visiting the Pumice Stone field, the Antofalla salt flat or the Galán volcano. We slept one night in Villa Vil and another in El Peñón.

2. Visiting the Pumice Field

One of the main places to visit in Catamarca is the Pumice Stone field, something unique in the world.

The Pumice field was formed by ancient volcanic eruptions. The entire site occupies about 30 kilometers.

Getting to the place is something incredible and not yet exploited for tourism. We could say that it resembles a great sea of white rock with pink waves that were molded by wind erosion.

Although we went with the idea of visiting the Pumice field, we ended up hiring a more extensive excursion of about five hours that included the Carachi Pampa volcano, the lagoon of the same name and some nearby dunes. It was a great success.

The excursion began very early in the morning going around the base of the Carachi Pampa volcano, dyed black due to ancient eruptions.

After several stops to take pictures, we head to the Carachi Pampa lagoon, a large body of water with the presence of llamas and flamingos that changes the color of the water according to the time of day. We were even a few steps away from the flames.

Finally, the 4×4 vehicle crosses a place with a lot of relief due to the rocks of the place and the Pumice Stone Field can be seen in the distance.

Upon arrival at the field, the vehicle is parked and the tour is done on foot. As a result of the rock formations, the terrain is not flat but has gentle undulations that allow, after a short ascent, to have fantastic views of the place.

The whole route has amazing landscapes. There is an abundant mix of colors ranging from reddish and yellow from the mountains, pink and cream from the Pumice Stone field, black from the volcanic rocks and turquoise from the lagoon. It really does look like something out of another planet.

We finish the excursion with some impressive sand dunes that must be more than 100 meters high.

– Where to book the excursion to visit the Pumice Field

The nearest town to visit the Pumice Field is El Peñon, about 36 kms away. Of these 36 kms only 8 are paved on route 43 that goes to Antofagasta de la Sierra, the rest of the road is not well marked and is sandy, so it is necessary to do it in 4×4 and with the presence of a driver/guide of the place.

The excursion to the Pumice field can be arranged in advance. Also if you are already in El Peñón there are many options to make the visit that includes the 4×4 vehicle, driver and optional guide. All accommodations offer the excursion, we did it with the hotel where we stayed without prior reservation. We arrived and the next day we made the excursion.

The excursion is normally done in the morning, when the wind is not blowing so hard over the Catamarca Puna. We left around 8 am and by 1 pm we were back at the lodge for lunch.

– Characteristics of the excursion to visit the Pumice Field

As mentioned above, we decided to do a more extensive excursion than the Pumice Field.

The excursion is done in a 4×4 vehicle and driver, who is also a kind of guide. It is charged per car, so if you share the vehicle between four people, the price is divided by four. The price can be negotiated if you hire it directly at El Peñon.

📷 Pre-book the private excursion for four people to the Pumice field and Carachi Pampa volcano from El Peñón.

3. Other excursions you can do from El Peñón or Antofagasta de la Sierra

Although our goal was to visit the Pumice field, we were left wanting more. It is advisable to base in El Peñón or Antofagasta de la Sierra for at least three days and do the excursions that are worthwhile in addition to the Pumice Field. These are:

• Visit the Galán volcano: with a 4×4 vehicle and a guide, access to the western edge of the volcano, at about 5,100 meters above sea level. The Galán volcano has the largest vent in the world with a diameter of 45 km. Inside the crater is the majestic Diamante lagoon, turquoise in color and with a high concentration of salt. The whole natural environment of the puna is spectacular.
• Visit the Antofalla Salt Flat: also accessible by 4×4 and guide, this imposing salt flat is about 150 km long. It stands out for the colors and the mountainous background.
• Visit Hombre Muerto Salt Flat: another of the great high altitude salt flats that can be reached by four-wheel drive vehicle along Route 43 from Antofagasta de la Sierra.

📷 Book here in advance the different private excursions for four people from El Peñón to Galan Volcano, Hombre Muerto and Antofalla salt flat.

On the other hand in Catamarca there is much more to see:

🔝 Check out these articles about other places in Catamarca:
– Adobe Route and Fiambala.

4. Tips for visiting Pumice Field and the Puna Catamarca

If you are going to travel in your own vehicle along Route 43 through the Puna Catamarca, the following tips should be taken into account:

• Altitude sickness: if you come from places without much altitude, you will probably feel tired and dizzy when you arrive at El Peñon or Antofagasta de la Sierra, whose altitude exceeds 3,000 meters. It is advisable not to make sudden movements, drink plenty of water and rest if you feel unwell.
• Climate: in the Puna Catamarca the climate has a great variation in temperature between day and night. During the day the temperature can reach 20/25 degrees in summer but at night it drops drastically. Light clothing, warm clothes and a windbreaker should be worn.
• Driving on the road: as it is a high altitude road with many curves and the presence of animals, it is recommended to drive at a moderate speed. Also beware of the intense wind that blows especially in the afternoon. Try to avoid traveling at night.
• Taking care of nature: we saw people taking pieces of Pumice Stone because the site is still not well controlled for its preservation. Please don’t do it, to preserve this jewel of nature.

5. How to get to El Peñón or Antofagasta de la Sierra

Although we did it by car, there is a bus option called the Antofagasteño, which departs from Belen to Antofagasta de la Sierra stopping at Laguna Blanca and El Peñón. It is necessary to check previously the schedules because it is not very frequent.

The other option is to hire directly the excursion to Campo de Piedra Pomez from Belen, which includes round trip transportation.

6. Where to stay on route 43 on the way to Piedra Pomez field.

As mentioned above, there are several towns to stop in along the way, all of which have one or two overnight accommodations.

In the official page of Tourism of Catamarca you can find a list of all the lodgings in the Puna area with telephone numbers. This information was very useful for us when choosing where to sleep.

We stayed the first day in the town of Villa Vil, at the Hosteria Villa Vil. It is a simple place with a restaurant and excellent service from the owner.

Once you get to El Peñon or Antofagasta de la Sierra, the offer of lodging is a bit greater, especially because the locals offer lodging in their houses or in adjacent constructions they have built.

In El Peñon we stayed at La Pomez cabins, run by the owners, a very nice couple. He has a restaurant in the main hall of his house and with them we made the excursion to Pumice Field. Highly recommended.

🏨 Find here the best hotels in Antofagasta de la Sierra.

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